About Us

Since its formation in 2006, the Eblana String Trio has been performing regularly for music societies and festivals throughout the UK and beyond, winning praise from audiences and critics alike for the depth and insight of their performances of this often neglected repertoire. Recent seasons have seen the trio giving acclaimed performances at both the Wigmore Hall for the Park Lane Group and at the Bridgewater Hall for the Manchester Midday Concerts Society, as well as performing live on Radio 3’s ‘In Tune’ programme.

The trio are City Music Foundation artists giving them access to both high-level performance opportunities as well as world-class professional and artistic mentoring. They have also performed under the auspices of the Park Lane Group and gave a critically acclaimed concert of works by Robin Holloway, Joel Rust (world premiere), and Schoenberg at St John’s Smith Square - “Finally, we heard that towering masterpiece of the chamber repertory, Schoenberg’s String Trio. (Why, o why, do we not hear it more often?) Febrile, intense, this was a fine performance indeed…The players’ instrumental singing of Schoenberg’s lines, flexible yet ever goal-directed, would have drawn in the most skeptical of listeners…” (Seen and heard international)

Other notable appearances over the past decade have included Keele Concerts Society, Derby Chamber Music Society, Bollington Chamber Concerts, Holmes Chapel Music Society, MusikFest Goslar (Germany) and the North Norfolk, King’s Lyn, Stratford-upon-Avon and Salisbury International Festivals. The trio has for many years also made appearances at the annual RNCM Chamber Music Festivals including a critically acclaimed performance of the Schoenberg Trio in their Festival of Viennese chamber music - “...the late, mercurial, if elliptical, String Trio, a sort of 12-tone divertimento, was brilliantly undertaken by the RNCM’s Eblana String Trio.” (Paul Driver - Sunday Times)

During their time at the Royal Northern College of Music the trio won all the major chamber music prizes, notably winning the 2010 RNCM chamber music award and audience prize for their performance of Britten’s Phantasy Quartet for Oboe and Strings. They are also fortunate to have received coaching from many eminent chamber musicians such as Gabor Takacs-Nagy, Hugh Maguire, Robin Ireland and Petr Prause, and have also attended the International Musicians’ Seminar at Prussia Cove studying with David Waterman. The trio has also been invited on a number of occasions to participate in the European Chamber Music Academy, most recently studying with Christoph Richter, Peter Cropper and Hatto Beyerle.

From 2013 until 2015 The Eblana String Trio were Junior Fellows in chamber music at Birmingham Conservatoire, a post which encompassed performing, studying and teaching whilst acting as ambassadors for the Conservatoire. The members of the trio are now visiting tutors in Chamber Music at Birmingham Conservatoire.

Jonathan Martindale

Violin

Born in Manchester in 1985 Jonathan Martindale has been the violinist of the Eblana String Trio since its inception. Aside from the trio he holds a Sub-Principal position in the Royal Northern Sinfonia and is also a member of Manchester Camerata. He has also regularly been a guest with the Academy of St Martin in the Fields, and BBC Philharmonic and in recent years Jonathan’s performances have taken him throughout Europe, the Far East, and Australia. Notable solo performances include a solo Bach recital for Manchester International Festival as well as performances of concertos by Bach, Vivaldi, Mozart, Beethoven, Mendelssohn, and Dutilleux.

Lucy Nolan

Viola

Violist Lucy Nolan left her native Dublin to study at the RNCM, and during her time there was awarded an International Artist Diploma in Orchestral String Leadership, a Master Degree in solo performance with Distinction and a Bachelor Degree with First Class Honours. As well as working with many distinguished orchestras, Lucy’s career as a chamber musician has seen her perform widely across the UK and further afield, collaborating with musicians including Thomas Riebl, Catrin Finch, Moray Welch and Marcia Crayford. She is also passionate about teaching and is currently on the staff at Junior RNCM, Yorkshire Young Musicians, the University of Manchester and Pro Corda.

Peggy Nolan

Cello

Peggy Nolan commenced her third level training at the Royal Northern College of Music in 2006 studying with Peter Dixon among others. She holds an International Artist Diploma in String Leadership, Master of Music and first class Bachelor degree from the RNCM. As well as her work with the Eblana String Trio, Peggy was a founding member of the Borromini Quartet, a young London-based ensemble, performing on instruments and bows of the classical period. As an orchestral player Peggy frequently performs with some of the UK and Ireland’s finest orchestras including the Halle, BBC Philharmonic and Irish Chamber Orchestra.